4
“Barusu.”
“Uergh!”
Now that their meeting was over, they were all headed to their designated locations—or at least that’s what Subaru was doing until someone grabbed him by the collar.
Fortunately, there wasn’t too much force involved, so he only got strangled just a little.
“W-wow, that’s unusual, big sis. You held back to make sure you didn’t break me. What’s up?”
“It’s hard work not to use too much strength when observing an insect in the palm of your hand. This is basically the same… Not that I would let an insect sit in my hand on purpose. What a repulsive thought.”
“You’re the one who brought it up.”
Subaru shrugged at the roundabout statement that was business as usual for Ram. Then he saw Ram open and close her hand, confirming the feeling over and over.
He felt a little odd at seeing that. It was a strange sight for him, since Ram was always so detached and composed. If there was a fitting reward, she could even endure crushing fatigue.
“Authorities…are an absurd power.”
He grimaced a bit at her disgruntled comment. After all, he was in complete agreement.
As an Oni who had lost her horn, Ram was constantly paying a terrible price with her body. She had overwhelming skill in combat, but she could only fight for exceedingly brief amounts of time.
Without that limit, she would be the most reliable ally in the tower, by a wide margin. And the ability to remove that limit, with certain conditions, existed in his authority’s next stage, the Little King…
“…The role of a king is to shoulder the weight of everyone’s problems and feelings.”
Lion’s Heart and Little King. Cor Leonis was a combination of those two powers. Little King was currently imposing a heavy fatigue and strain on Subaru’s body and mind—this was the burden that Ram lived with every day.
Natsuki Subaru’s Cor Leonis allowed him to take on the burden of his comrades, as the king of the pride. That was the new power he awakened, and the proof of his resolve to support his friends.
If he was being honest, it made his head hurt. His body was creaking and groaning, and it felt like all his blood had been replaced with burning poison. The joints in his arms and legs were heavy, like they were filled with sand. Ram lived like this every day, and it was worse than he’d imagined.
But if he could become the cornerstone for a new future by doing this…
“I’m coughing up some blood, but we are go for liftoff.”
“Fool… If it’s just you suffering, then I don’t mind very much.”
“But this is our plan, big sis. If you think of it that way, don’t you want to finish this as fast as possible?”
“True. The very idea is revolting.”
“That’s a bit harsh…”
Ram insulted him as she got adjusted to the effects of this newfound ability. Subaru scratched his head and fought back the nausea as he saw Ram take her familiar pose, holding her elbows.
“Barusu. I won’t cut any corners.”
Delivering that cold statement ahead of time was Ram being Ram.
It made perfect, of course, but the more she fought at her old strength, the heavier the burden grew. And Subaru was determined to bear the full weight of that burden with his own body.
“That’s fine. Don’t you dare hold back. I’ll know if you’re being serious or not from my own agony. Oh, the torture!”
“The better my condition, the more you suffer.”
“I feel like I just gave the nuclear football to someone who should never be allowed to hold it,” he said with a smile.
Ram’s pink eyes crinkled.
“Fool,” she murmured, finishing the conversation.
With that small exchange, they reached an understanding. There was a lot he wanted to say, and a lot he should say, but Ram turned away to leave.
And…
“Barusu, be careful. If you die, you won’t be able to meet Rem again.”
“Yeah, I love you, too.”
She wasn’t very honest about her concerns, and Subaru cracked wise in response.
Watching Ram run off, Subaru stood with Emilia and the others who were waiting in the passage.
“I’m worried about you, too, but…do you think Ram will be okay?”
“Probably. I’m sure Ram will be fine… If I had said something too stupid, there’s no way she wouldn’t have said something.”
“You really trust Ram, I suppose.”
“I trust you, too. And I love you even more. So don’t pout.”
“Betty isn’t pouting!” Beatrice shouted as her cheeks puffed out.
Subaru held her outstretched hand, and Emilia, standing beside them, giggled a little.
“Emilia-tan?”
“No, it’s nothing. Just, I felt really reassured.”
“…What a coincidence. I was just feeling the same.”
There was no basis for what Emilia was saying, but it felt like the ultimate boost to Subaru. The anticipation was greater than the unease. It was more reassuring to be entrusted than to simply be left something. Faith was better than dependence. None of their problems had been resolved yet but…
“It’s natural to trust your comrades, and when you believe in them, you can believe in yourself. Ever since coming to this sandy tower, this is the brightest things have looked.”
“I suppose that face is my favorite version of Subaru.”
Beatrice smiled daringly when she saw Subaru’s reassuring expression. And Emilia’s lovely smile deepened as well.
Noticing that reaction, Beatrice asked, “What is it?”
Emilia shook her head.
“You don’t remember, I guess, but I was just thinking the same thing.”
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